At least five people have been hospitalised with symptoms including “disturbing” hallucinations, dizziness and involuntary twitching after ingesting mushroom gummies made by a Byron Bay business.
New South Wales Health issued a warning on Wednesday night for people not to consume Uncle Frog’s Mushroom Gummies.
Since April at least five people have been hospitalised across the state after experiencing “unexpected toxicity” when consuming the “cordyceps” and “lion’s mane” flavours. Other people have been hospitalised interstate.
It would seem, from my "vegan curious" views on Youtube (no, no - I will never actually go vegan - I'm just curious as to how they can make food taste good with no butter, cheese or eggs) that lion's mane mushroom is all the rage in vegan circles for making imitation steaks. But it alone has no mind altering effects.
That the gummies are about zonking out on 'shrooms is obvious from the packaging, though:
The gummies’ packaging encourages customers to “experience the multiverse”, claiming they are “infused with earth’s finest hemp” at “1000mg per serve” – equal to one gram.
The lion’s mane flavour purports to support “memory and focus”, while the cordyceps boasts it provides “natural energy and power”.
As of Thursday morning the company’s website had been taken down, and its Facebook and TikTok accounts wiped. An archived version of Uncle Frog’s website said it was a Byron Bay-based business offering products including “a unique, trademarked blend of natural ingredients designed to provide an elevated experience”.
“They are free from CBD, CBN, and THC, and are 100% legal in Australia,” the archived website read.
It pays not to trust such businesses, obviously.
Beachgoers on the NSW far north coast who fancy a dip in their birthday suits have been stripped of a place to swim after it was announced a popular nudist beach will soon close.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will shut down the clothing-optional area at Tyagarah Nature Reserve, near Byron Bay, by August 30.
Byron Shire Council approved the area in 1998, but a recent NPWS land survey revealed that the site came under its jurisdiction.
NPWS met representatives from NSW Police, businesses, community groups and naturists in March to discuss alternative locations for a nude beach.
In a statement, it said no viable alternatives were found.
As I have said before, I find it somewhat counterintuitive that during my lifetime, the sexual revolution evolved into a sympathetic approach to public nudity such that nudist beaches were legalised in most states; but then, when the internet made access to sexualised nudity on a screen - including the private sharing of nude selfies - a bigger thing than ever, the popularity and legalisation of actual nudist spaces has gone strongly into retreat. (Although, I guess other novelty public nude events - such as the bike rides or mid-winter swims - are treated with a shrug of the shoulders now, but would have scandalous in the 1960's.)
I guess the explanation is that the internet's open access to pornography of all kinds encourages male sexual exhibitionists to think their behaviour is normalised, which leads to worrying behaviour around nudist beaches, and a general perception that public nudity spaces are for weirdos. I might - I guess - also be downplaying the role of skin cancer awareness in discouraging social nudity in this country!
Anyway, social attitudes don't always progress in the way you might guess.
PS: I meant to add, the Byron Bay area with its reputation for hippy-ish, New Age, counter-cultural vibes is about the last area in Australia in which you would expect a backlash against a legal nudist beach. Just how many masturbating men harassing women (or men?) have there been, I wonder?
1 comment:
I'll never trust Uncle Frog again!
Post a Comment